Newbie Newbie

Hi to everyone. I am new to forums and new to this site. You all seemed like a friendly bunch so decided to give it a go. Never owned my own Dandy tho my parents had one many years back which they loved and i was always impressed with. Anyway due to a the birth of our daughter earlier this year we have decided to upgrade our trusty old and well worn tent for something a little more comfortable and warmer and a Dandy was the first thing that sprung to mind. I have been keeping my eye on the usual auction/freead sites and prices seem to really vary wildly !!!! I am hoping to have enough funds together by March/April time and while not to fussy on the model would like one from the 90s or younger. So if anyone is thinking of selling around then please get in touch. I will continue to look around at the old posts for the many many questions i have so i dont bug you all to death.

Regards

Pete.

Welcome to the Dandy Campers and congratulations on becoming a dad, we like questions here





I'm sure the right dandy will come along

Feel free to bug.
90's onwards are probably the most popular as they are lighter inside.
Do be aware that though built to as high a quality as anything anyone else produces if indeed not higher, the later dark blue Dandys are perceived to be of a lower standard than earlier Dandys.
If stored well earlier Dandys can still be in perfect condition. As long as the PVC is not punctured or the floor soft (through dampness)an repairs should be relatively minor.
Is there a particular size you require or is there anything you think is particularly important?
Many automatically think they want insulation or floor heaters. Though the standard Dandy is far warmer than a canvas tent so you may not need the insulation unless you want to camp for the full 12 months in a year.
As said many times the awning is quite heavy but exceedingly robust.
Rather than my whittering why not tell us what your thoughts are on what you want or need.

On becoming a Dad and
To the Forum.

Don't worry about asking any questions, there is a wealth of information here. There is usually some one here who can answer any thing you need to know.

Hi thanks for the warm welcome I wouldnt rule any model out but the designer does appeal due to being a little bigger but still not to heavy. I would love one with an awning and place that high on my priority list. As for heating underfloor tho probably very nice with a little one crawling around not that much use !!! I would prefer to run an electric heater and if possible have the option of running any electrical appliances off a leisure battery as we enjoy wild camping (oh and fishing another use for the awning) I guess any extra insulation would be usefull as i would hope to use the dandy at least 9 months of the year and March April time can still get pretty cold in the evenings. Any suggestions as to anything else you think may be usefull ur tips to bare in mind would be greatly apprieciated.

regards

Pete

bedwok wrote:Hi thanks for the warm welcome I wouldnt rule any model out but the designer does appeal due to being a little bigger but still not to heavy. I would love one with an awning and place that high on my priority list. As for heating underfloor tho probably very nice with a little one crawling around not that much use !!! I would prefer to run an electric heater and if possible have the option of running any electrical appliances off a leisure battery as we enjoy wild camping (oh and fishing another use for the awning) I guess any extra insulation would be usefull as i would hope to use the dandy at least 9 months of the year and March April time can still get pretty cold in the evenings. Any suggestions as to anything else you think may be usefull ur tips to bare in mind would be greatly apprieciated.

regards

Pete

Hi
I have a 1996 Designer with an awning and it is simply magic!!!

Mikey

I have a designer too and love it, however depending on the size of your car engine a 6 may not be out the question and offers even more space.

I'm not sure about running a heater off a leisure battery as it's something we haven't tried. We do go without electric often and use the battery for the tap and for lighting and sometimes even the odd tv programme but we have an underfloor heater so only bother with an electric heater when we're using EHU.

to the forum,to run heat from 12 volt it would have to be the blown air gas or diesel type which are very pricey,your right about the floor heater being not so good with a young child but remember buy the right dandy and you could still be using it in 20 years if you wanted,if you intend to enlarge your family then a 6 could be worth considering.
Not going to cover the advantages of a dandy as i think you already know them.

mike

Pete

Though I have a 1990's Designer I only bought that last Dec. In November I used my late 60's / early 70's "Green Un" I also loaned it to two of my mates to camp in during Jan 2012. My mates managed without heat and in Nov I switched off a gas heater I have and just ran a Tilley Lamp to take the chill off the Dandy as the heater didn't switch lower than 1.5Kw. and was too warm. Please note I'm no fresh air fiend and am probably as cold blooded a person as you will find.
Mike makes a fair comment about a Dandy lasting 20 years plus, the PVC completely changes the lifespan of the unit from that of a normal folding camper. (When did you last see a plus 20 year old folding camper for sale? I can't count how many Dandycampers have units over 20 years old and without thinking I can think of 5 owners of 40+ year old units)
I expect your offspring to have worked out that hot things burn before they're 20 as well. Think about the floor heater because if you like to wild camp no EHU reduces you to burning something to produce heat no battery of any capacity would ever be sufficient for heating.
Any source of combustion within the Dandy will require suitable ventilation. Though I'd argue that even a Tilley or gas lantern can take the chill off a Dandy even these must have suitable ventilation and I would suggest that it does no harm to also have a CO alarm within the Dandy. I don't know how many camping websites or periodicals you read but the camping world is a bit sensitive on the subject of CO at the moment as over the past few years several campers have taken barbecues into their tents for a source of heat. Unfortunately the death toll is now well into double figures. We have some posts on heating options please read and feel free to question.

Hello and welcome

WOW Thank you for the replies and great info !!! A couple of you have a mentioned a Dandy 6...forgive my ignorance but is that a reference to a dimension/destiny ? or something different again ? The vehicles i have to tow with i think may limit the bigger Dandys !! a nissan almera 1.5 petrol or citroen berlingo (work van )1.6 diesel neither of which can tow a great deal both around the 1000kg max mark from what i have read on the net. Please bare in mind my fishing gear weighs quite a bit too. I think the under floor heating would be a good idea after reading your thoughts and taking the points (well made)on board, so thats now also on my "needed" list along with an awning. If anyone could help with weights/size etc of the Dandy 6 that would be great !!! and what sort of price i could expect to pay for a well cared for tidy example with underfloor heating and an awning ?? just a ball park figure i know prices seem to really vary. Thanks again for the advice and help so far

Pete you will find basic info on a few models here including the 6

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keep looking through out the year as the Dandy's are cheaper then than the height of camping season hits, the good thing about the Dandy's is with a good bit of elbow grease and bit of DIY the look great after and your pride swells with every outing as guaranteed to draw interest and on becoming a proud Dad

again, feel free to ask any questions you think of, we like questions and pictures here, but you've probably realised this.

Hi has anyone seen the dandy discovery up for sale at ribs dandy website ? It looks nice but seems cheap for one of there's ?? Is there a reason for this I am wondering ? Any thoughts or input on it would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry ribs should be riva ! Predictive text hehe

bedwok wrote:Hi has anyone seen the dandy discovery up for sale at ribs dandy website ? It looks nice but seems cheap for one of there's ?? Is there a reason for this I am wondering ? Any thoughts or input on it would be greatly appreciated.

"for sale at ribs dandy website ?" ribs dandy website?????????

I've got a feeling you mean the one on eBay being sold by Riva Leisure.

Yes it is less than they normally try to sell for but as was said by Helen in the link

A bit steep for a starting bid without an awning but at least you know the condition will be excellent

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Why Riva are choosing to sell on eBay your guess is as good as mine, trying a new option for sales, could do with making a winter sale? I've no real idea.
As Helen said it will be spot on but it's an awful lot of pennies for a 41/2 with no awning.

Hi if that's the delta you refer to on eBay then no. Riva dandy sales have a 1990 blue and white discovery up at 1695 !

Pete it looks a very nice dandy but you will pay more from riva the same as you would buying a car from a dealer,that said Ian is well respected outlet for dandys and you do get factory support this makes it difficult to put a value on it.
If you are happy paying that bit more then i doubt you would go far wrong buying from riva.

mike

Pete

Sorry no doubt in middle of scribing my reply when you sent your comment about predictive text.
A bit odd as the system normally tells you if someone has posted a comment while you have been composing a reply.


What Mike says is true but a lot depends on how prices for Dandys go next year. 2011 saw strong prices with prices dropping a bit in 2012. 2011 might have seen a Discovery without awning sell for £1,650 on the open market this year I doubt it would have made £1,200. It all depends on what you can get an awning for. The Discovery from Ian will be sound though with no unpleasant surprises. I got a bit confused as the brown and white one was originally listed as £1,650 or £1,600 whereas now it's listed as "Phone for details" Admittedly both are without awnings but these don't seem like Ian's normal pricing levels.

A lot also depends on you. Are you the sort to do a brake adjustment and a few other jobs or do you want everything all perfect. If the latter then these two models on sale at Riva start to look more attractive.

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It's nice, brand new cover and brand new carpet ....... plus underfloor heater. Okay no awning but the new carpet and cover are a bonus plus it has the underfloor heater which have been going for stupid money recently. You can use alternative awnings although not as robust as a Dandy awning and you have to dry them out they're no where near as heavy as Dandy awnings. The downside is that Dandy's with original awnings are far more desirable. It all depends on what you want, it may be easier to put up an alternative awning alone as your wife will be holding the baby and the alternative awning is so much lighter and less bulky so you could pack more baby stuff on top of the Dandy and stay within the weight limits.

Take a look at this awning on a designer, it would look the same on a Discovery as they're the same size.

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